The invention relates to internal combustion engines and in particular to six-cycle engines. Specifically, it relates to the mode of cycling the gases during the operation of the engine.
There are numerous designs of reciprocating internal combustion engines, many are of the four-cycle type. In the six-cycle type various concepts have been used to improve the efficiency. The present invention further improves the art as will be hereinafter described.
The six cycles of the present invention are described hereinafter. It is to be noted that although the chronological order of the cycles may parallel those of other six-cycle engines, the mode of the flow of gases during those six cycles is improved to provide a better efficiency.
The first cycle is an intake stroke, a primary intake of air into the cylinder as the piston moves downward.
The second cycle is a combination compression and storage stroke. As the piston moves upward, the air drawn in during the first cycle is compressed. Most of the air is compressed into a specially configured hot chamber from which the burned gas has just previously been exhausted. A specially configured closing valve stores the air in the hot chamber.
The third cycle is another intake stroke, a secondary intake of air into the cylinder as the piston moves downward.
The fourth cycle is a compression and combining stroke. As the piston moves upward, the air is compressed in the cylinder. As the piston approaches the top of the stroke and as the pressure in the cylinder approaches the pressure in the aforementioned hot chamber (the second cycle) the specially configured valve opens to let the air in the cylinder and in the hot chamber combine by a portion of the air in the cylinder passing into the hot chamber as the piston completes the upward stroke. At this point most of the air that has been taken in is in the hot chamber. At this time fuel is injected into the system through the hot chamber.
The fifth cycle is the power stroke. As ignition occurs the expanding gas drives the piston downward.
The sixth cycle is the exhaust stroke. As the piston moves upward it drives the hot gas from the power stroke out through the exhaust port.
In the above description of the cycles for the background and summary of the invention, no mention was made of the operation of the various valves in the system, except for the one valve in the fourth cycle that permits the gases to combine in the cylinder and hot chamber. The various valves and their cams and operation will be described in detail in the description of the preferred embodiments.
In the previous description of the six cycles, the six cycles started with the primary intake stroke and moved through the exhaust stroke.
The use of the aforementioned hot chamber as a holding chamber and also to capture a portion of the heat from the combustion of the fuel within the chamber provides a means for preheating the air.
As hereinbefore described, the hot chamber becomes part of the combustion chamber during the power stroke.
By use of the six-cycle engine as hereindescribed, improved performance is obtained in fuel economy and in the power to size ratio.
The especially configured hot chamber is elongated and spherical-like to accept the high pressure that the system generates in the power stroke (combustion phase). Likewise the configuration of the hot chamber valve is elongated and spherical-like to provide for an efficient flow around the valve as the heated air and fuel mixture spews from the hot chamber when the valve is open and ignition occurs. The top of the specially configured valve is also configured as a valve means to seal off the clearance around the valve stem at the top side of the specially configured hot chamber and above the specially configured valve.
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide six-cycle engine having two intake strokes to each power stroke.
It is another object of the invention to provide a specially configured chamber directly above the cylinder to provide a compression area for the air taken in on the first intake stroke for compression of a six-cycle engine.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a specially configured valve to assist in the flow of gases from a specially configured chamber when the valve is open for the power stroke in a six-cycle engine.
It is still another object of the invention to provide for the injection of fuel through the specially configured chamber in a six-cycle engine.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a special upper valve-like means to seal off the top of a specially configured chamber when combustion of fuel is occurring within the chamber and cylinder during the power stroke in a six-cycle engine.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent in the light of the following description of the preferred embodiments.